Chicago police Cmdr. Paul Bauer was shot to death at the Thompson Center on Feb. 13, 2018, after chasing a man fleeing from tactical officers, police said. Bauer, a 31-year-veteran who had been in the area for training, confronted the man, according to police and other sources. (Chicago Tribune)

Chicago police Cmdr. Paul Bauer was shot to death at the Thompson Center on Feb. 13, 2018, after chasing a man fleeing from tactical officers, police said. Bauer, a 31-year-veteran who had been in the area for training, confronted the man, according to police and other sources. (Chicago Tribune)

The 44-year-old convicted felon charged with fatally shooting Chicago police Cmdr. Paul Bauer was wearing a long jacket that concealed a bulletproof vest, according to police.

In Illinois and at least 25 other states, wearing body armor while committing a crime is a felony. Convicted felons are barred from possessing bulletproof vests — which can be purchased for as little as $250 on Walmart’s website — in Illinois, but the vests are otherwise permitted. And illegally possessing both a firearm and bulletproof vest is a felony that carries a minimum 10-year prison sentence.

It’s unknown how often Cook County prosecutors charge people under the statute — a spokeswoman said the state’s attorney’s office doesn’t track those figures — but police and prosecutors said its highly unusual for cops to come across criminals on the street wearing body armor .

Still, Shomari Legghette, the Chicago man charged Wednesday in Bauer’s killing, was arrested for just that a little more than a decade ago. Legghette was on parole in 2007 when he was hit with a series of charges including possession of a gun with a defaced serial number and unlawful use of body armor by a felon. He ultimately pleaded guilty to the gun charge and was sentenced to three years behind bars.

Cook County prosecutors have previously convicted a defendant both on first-degree murder charges and, in a separate trial, of felony possession of a firearm and body armor, records show.

Officers have testified that they’ve found protective vests in the course of executing search warrants in drug trafficking and other criminal cases.

Two veteran Chicago police officers, who requested anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak to the media, said it’s rare for cops to encounter criminals on the street wearing body armor.

When suspects are found wearing body armor, it’s an indication to police of how especially dangerous that person can be. “Someone that’s a hardcore killer, or he’s probably going to get engaged in a shootout with rivals,” the officer said.

The other officer, a longtime supervisor within the Police Department, said criminals may also wear body armor to simply protect themselves if they’re involved in drug-dealing or other types of illicit business like robberies.

In 2006, Ramirez Taylor was arrested by Chicago police after running from officers during a traffic stop, according to court records. Officers found Taylor was wearing body armor and illegally carrying a 9 mm Glock handgun; authorities said he did not have a firearm owner’s identification, or FOID, card.

The handgun was sent for ballistics testing and came back as a match to two shell casings found at a suburban Riverdale homicide a month earlier, according to an appeals court ruling. One shell casing had been found under the body of Shone Matthews, who was killed during a dice game, and another in a neighbor’s yard.

Taylor was convicted of Matthews’ murder and is serving a 60-year prison sentence. He was separately convicted of possessing a gun without a FOID card while wearing body armor and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

In 2010, a Waukegan police detective and two other officers were on patrol when they allegedly heard a man wearing a knee-length coat drop something metallic behind a truck and run, court records show.

The man, Javon Richardson, was arrested and police found a shotgun under the truck. While he was being booked, officers found he was wearing a bulletproof vest under his sweatshirt, according to an appeals court ruling.

Richardson was charged with possession of a weapon by a felon and with committing that crime while wearing body armor. A jury convicted him of both counts, and a judge sentenced him to 17 years in prison.